bell at corp v. twombly 550 u.s. 544, 127 s.ct. 1955

8/9/2019 Bell at Corp v. Twombly 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.ct. 1955

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Supreme Court of the United States

BELL ATLANTIC CORPORATION et al., Peti-

tioners,

v.

William TWOMBLY et al.

No. 05-1126.

Argued Nov. 27, 2006.

Decided May 21, 2007.

Background: Consumers brought putative class ac-

tion against incumbent local exchange carriers

(ILECs) alleging antitrust conspiracy, in violation

of the Sherman Act, both to prevent competitive

entry into local telephone and Internet service mar-

kets and to avoid competing with each other in their

respective markets. The United States District

Court for the Southern District of New York, Ger-

ald Lynch, J., 313 F.Supp.2d 174, dismissed com-

plaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief

could be granted. The United States Court of Ap-

peals for the Second Circuit, 425 F.3d 99, reversed.

The Supreme Court granted certiorari.

Holdings: The Supreme Court, Justice Souter, held

that:

(1) stating a claim under Sherman Act's restraint of

trade provision requires a complaint with enough

factual matter, taken as true, to suggest that an

agreement was made;

(2) an allegation of parallel business conduct and a

bare assertion of conspiracy will not alone suffice

to state a claim under the Sherman Act;

(3) dismissal for failure to state a claim upon which

relief may be granted does not require appearance,

beyond a doubt, that plaintiff can prove no set offacts in support of claim that would entitle him to

relief, abrogating Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 78

S.Ct. 99, 2 L.Ed.2d 80; and

(4) consumers' allegations of parallel conduct were

insufficient to state a claim.

Judgment of the Court of Appeals reversed and re-

manded.

Justice Stevens filed a dissenting opinion in which

Justice Ginsburg joined in part.

West Headnotes

[1] Antitrust and Trade Regulation 29T 537

29T Antitrust and Trade Regulation

29TVI Antitrust Regulation in General

29TVI(B) Cartels, Combinations, Contracts,

and Conspiracies in General29Tk537 k. In general. Most Cited Cases

Because Sherman Act's restraint of trade provision

does not prohibit all unreasonable restraints of trade

but only restraints effected by a contract, combina-

tion, or conspiracy, the crucial question is whether

the challenged anticompetitive conduct stems from

independent decision or from an agreement, tacit or

express. Sherman Act, 1, 15 U.S.C.A. 1.


29T Antitrust and Trade Regulation29TXVII Antitrust Actions, Proceedings, and

Enforcement

29TXVII(B) Actions

29Tk973 Evidence

29Tk975 k. Admissibility. Most Cited

Cases

While a showing of parallel business behavior is

admissible circumstantial evidence from which the

fact finder may infer agreement, it falls short of

conclusively establishing agreement or itself consti-

tuting an offense under the Sherman Act's restraint

of trade provision. Sherman Act, 1, 15 U.S.C.A. 1.




127 S.Ct. 1955 Page 1

550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929, 75 USLW 4337, 2007-1 Trade Cases P 75,709, 68 Fed.R.Serv.3d

661, 07 Cal. Daily Op. Serv. 5550, 2007 Daily Journal D.A.R. 7097, 41 Communications Reg. (P&F) 567, 20 Fla.

L. Weekly Fed. S 267

(Cite as: 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955)

2010 Thomson Reuters. No Claim to Orig. US Gov. Works.
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and Conspiracies in General

29Tk537 k. In general. Most Cited Cases

Conscious parallelism with respect to business be-

havior, a common reaction of firms in a concen-

trated market that recognize their shared economic

interests and their interdependence with respect to

price and output decisions, is not in itself unlawful

under Sherman Act's restraint of trade provision.

Sherman Act, 1, 15 U.S.C.A. 1.





and Conspiracies in General

29Tk537 k. In general. Most Cited Cases

An antitrust conspiracy plaintiff with evidence

showing nothing beyond parallel conduct on part of

defendants is not entitled to a directed verdict.

Sherman Act, 1, 15 U.S.C.A. 1.

[5] Antitrust and Trade Regulation 29T

977(2)


29TXVII Antitrust Actions, Proceedings, and

Enforcement

29TXVII(B) Actions

29Tk973 Evidence

29Tk977 Weight and Sufficiency

29Tk977(2) k. Restraints and mis-

conduct in general. Most Cited Cases

Proof of a conspiracy under Sherman Act's restraint

of trade provision must include evidence tending to

exclude the possibility of independent action. Sher-

man Act, 1, 15 U.S.C.A. 1.

[6] Federal Civil Procedure 170A 2484

170A Federal Civil Procedure

170AXVII Judgment

170AXVII(C) Summary Judgment

170AXVII(C)2 Particular Cases

170Ak2484 k. Antitrust and price dis-

crimination cases. Most Cited Cases

At the summary judgment stage, an offer of con-

spiracy evidence by a plaintiff alleging violation of

Sherman Act's restraint of trade provision must

tend to rule out the possibility that the defendants

were acting independently. Sherman Act, 1, 15

U.S.C.A. 1.



170AVII Pleadings and Motions

170AVII(B) Complaint

170AVII(B)1 In General

170Ak673 k. Claim for relief in gener-

al. Most Cited Cases

Federal Civil Procedure 170A 1772


170AXI Dismissal

170AXI(B) Involuntary Dismissal

170AXI(B)3 Pleading, Defects In, in Gen-

eral

170Ak1772 k. Insufficiency in general.

Most Cited Cases

While a complaint attacked by a motion to dismiss

for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be

granted does not need detailed factual allegations, a

plaintiff's obligation to provide the grounds of his

entitlement to relief requires more than labels and

conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the ele-

ments of a cause of action will not do. Fed.Rules

Civ.Proc.Rule 12(b)(6), 28 U.S.C.A.



170AXI Dismissal



eral

170Ak1772 k. Insufficiency in general.

Most Cited Cases


127 S.Ct. 1955 Page 2




(Cite as: 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955)

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3/36


170AXI Dismissal


170AXI(B)5 Proceedings

170Ak1827 Determination

170Ak1835 k. Matters deemed ad-

mitted; acceptance as true of allegations in com-

plaint. Most Cited Cases

To survive a motion to dismiss for failure to state a

claim upon which relief can be granted, factual al-

legations must be enough to raise a right to relief

above the speculative level, on the assumption that

all the allegations in the complaint are true even if

doubtful in fact. Fed.Rules Civ.Proc.Rule 12(b)(6),

28 U.S.C.A.






170Ak673 k. Claim for relief in gener-

al. Most Cited Cases

While, for most types of cases, the Federal Rules

eliminated the cumbersome requirement that a

claimant set out in detail the facts upon which he

bases his claim, the general rule governing plead-ings still requires a showing, rather than a blanket

assertion, of entitlement to relief; without some fac-

tual allegation in the complaint, it is hard to see

how a claimant could satisfy the requirement of

providing not only fair notice of the nature of the

claim, but also grounds on which the claim rests.

Fed.Rules Civ.Proc.Rule 8(a)(2), 28 U.S.C.A.


972(4)

29T Antitrust and Trade Regulation29TXVII Antitrust Actions, Proceedings, and

Enforcement

29TXVII(B) Actions

29Tk972 Pleading

29Tk972(2) Complaint

29Tk972(4) k. Conspiracy or com-

bination. Most Cited Cases

Stating a claim under Sherman Act's restraint of

trade provision requires a complaint with enough

factual matter, taken as true, to suggest that an

agreement was made; asking for plausible grounds

to infer an agreement does not impose a probability

requirement at the pleading stage, but simply calls

for enough fact to raise a reasonable expectation

that discovery will reveal evidence of illegal agree-

ment. Sherman Act, 1, 15 U.S.C.A. 1.



170AXI Dismissal



eral

170Ak1773 k. Clear or certain nature

of insufficiency. Most Cited Cases

A well-pleaded complaint may proceed even if it

strikes a savvy judge that actual proof of those facts

is improbable, and that a recovery is very remote

and unlikely.


972(4)



Enforcement

29TXVII(B) Actions

29Tk972 Pleading




An allegation of parallel business conduct and a

bare assertion of conspiracy will not suffice to state

a claim under Sherman Act's restraint of trade pro-

vision; without more, parallel conduct does not sug-gest conspiracy, and a conclusory allegation of

agreement at some unidentified point does not sup-

ply facts adequate to show illegality. Sherman Act,

1, 15 U.S.C.A. 1.


127 S.Ct. 1955 Page 3




(Cite as: 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955)

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4/36

972(4)



Enforcement

29TXVII(B) Actions

29Tk972 Pleading




When allegations of parallel conduct are set out in

order to make a claim under the Sherman Act's re-

straint of trade provision, they must be placed in a

context that raises a suggestion of a preceding

agreement, not merely parallel conduct that could

just as well be independent action. Sherman Act, 1, 15 U.S.C.A. 1.






170Ak674 k. Theory of claim. Most

Cited Cases



170AXI Dismissal



eral

170Ak1773 k. Clear or certain nature

of insufficiency. Most Cited Cases

Dismissal for failure to state a claim upon which re-

lief may be granted does not require appearance,

beyond a doubt, that plaintiff can prove no set of

facts in support of claim that would entitle him to

relief, although once a claim has been stated ad-

equately, it may be supported by showing any set of

facts consistent with the allegations in the com-

plaint; abrogating Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41,

78 S.Ct. 99, 2 L.Ed.2d 80. Fed.Rules Civ.Proc.Rule

12(b)(6), 28 U.S.C.A.


972(4)



Enforcement

29TXVII(B) Actions

29Tk972 Pleading




Consumers' allegations that, by virtue of parallel

conduct, incumbent local exchange carriers (ILECs)

entered into a contract, combination, or conspiracy

to prevent competitive entry into their local tele-

phone and Internet service markets, and agreed notto compete with one another, failed to state claim

for violation of Sherman Act's restraint of trade

provision, as claim essentially rested on descrip-

tions of parallel conduct and not on any independ-

ent allegation of actual agreement among the

ILECs. Sherman Act, 1, 15 U.S.C.A. 1.

[16] Evidence 157 11

157 Evidence

157I Judicial Notice

157k11 k. Historical facts. Most Cited CasesWhere antitrust complaint quoted portion of state-

ment of one defendant's chief executive officer

(CEO) to suggest that defendants conspired togeth-

er, district court was entitled to take notice of the

full contents of the published articles referenced in

the complaint, from which the truncated quotations

were drawn. Fed.Rules Evid.Rule 201, 28 U.S.C.A.



170AI In General

170AI(B) Rules of Court in General

170AI(B)2 Rules of Civil Procedure

170Ak31 k. In general. Most Cited

Cases

Broadening of a Federal Rule of Civil Procedure

can only be accomplished by the process of amend-

127 S.Ct. 1955 Page 4




(Cite as: 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955)

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5/36

ing the Federal Rules, and not by judicial interpret-

ation.

[18] Federal Civil Procedure 170A 633.1



170AVII(A) Pleadings in General

170Ak633 Certainty, Definiteness and

Particularity

170Ak633.1 k. In general. Most Cited

Cases

On certain subjects understood to raise a high risk

of abusive litigation, a plaintiff must state factual

allegations with greater particularity than that re-

quired by general rule governing pleadings.

Fed.Rules Civ.Proc.Rules 8, 9(b-c), 28 U.S.C.A.

**1958 *544 SyllabusFN*

FN* The syllabus constitutes no part of the

opinion of the Court but has been prepared

by the Reporter of Decisions for the con-

venience of the reader. See United States v.

Detroit Timber & Lumber Co., 200 U.S.

321, 337, 26 S.Ct. 282, 50 L.Ed. 499.

The 1984 divestiture of the American Telephone &

Telegraph Company's (AT & T) local telephone

business left a system of regional service monopol-

ies, sometimes called Incumbent Local Exchange

Carriers (ILECs), and a separate long-distance mar-

ket from which the ILECs were excluded. The

Telecommunications Act of 1996 withdrew approv-

al of the ILECs' monopolies, fundamentally re-

structur[ing] local telephone markets and

subject[ing] [ILECs] to a host of duties intended to

facilitate market entry. AT & T Corp. v. Iowa Util-

ities Bd., 525 U.S. 366, 371, 119 S.Ct. 721, 142

L.Ed.2d 835. It also authorized them to enter the

long-distance market. Central to the [new] scheme

[was each ILEC's] obligation ... to share its network

with competitive local exchange carriers (CLECs).

Verizon Communications Inc. v. Law Offices of

Curtis V. Trinko, LLP, 540 U.S. 398, 402, 124 S.Ct.

872, 157 L.Ed.2d 823.

Respondents (hereinafter plaintiffs) represent a

class of subscribers of local telephone and/or high

speed Internet services in this action against peti-

tioner ILECs for claimed violations of 1 of the

Sherman Act, which prohibits [e]very contract,

combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or

conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce

among the several States, or with foreign nations.

The complaint alleges that the ILECs conspired to

restrain trade (1) by engaging in parallel conduct in

their respective service areas to inhibit the growth

of upstart CLECs; and (2) by agreeing to refrain

from competing against one another, as indicated

by their common failure to pursue attractive busi-

ness opportunities in contiguous markets and by a

statement by one ILEC's chief executive officer thatcompeting in another ILEC's territory did not seem

right. The District Court dismissed the complaint,

concluding that parallel business conduct allega-

tions, taken alone, do not state a claim under 1;

plaintiffs must allege additional facts tending to ex-

clude independent self-interested conduct as an ex-

planation for the parallel actions. Reversing, the

Second Circuit held that plaintiffs' parallel conduct

allegations were sufficient to withstand a motion to

dismiss because the ILECs failed to show that there

is no set of facts that would permit plaintiffs to

demonstrate that the particular parallelism asserted

was the product of collusion rather than coincid-

ence.

*545 Held:

1. Stating a 1 claim requires a complaint with

enough factual matter (taken as true) to suggest that

an agreement was made. An allegation of parallel

conduct and a bare assertion of conspiracy will not

suffice. Pp. 1963 - 1970.

(a) Because 1 prohibits only restraints effectedby a contract, combination, or conspiracy, Copper-

weld Corp. v. Independence Tube Corp., 467 U.S.

752, 775, 104 S.Ct. 2731, 81 L.Ed.2d 628, [t]he

crucial question is whether the challenged anti-

competitive conduct stem[s] from independent de-

cision or from an agreement, Theatre Enterprises,

127 S.Ct. 1955 Page 5




(Cite as: 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955)

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Inc. v. Paramount Film Distributing Corp., 346

U.S. 537, 540, 74 S.Ct. 257, 98 L.Ed. 273. While a

showing of parallel business behavior is admiss-

ible circumstantial evidence from which agree-

ment may be inferred, it falls short of conclusively

establish[ing] agreement or ... itself constitut[ing] a

Sherman Act offense. Id., at 540-541, 74 S.Ct.

257. The inadequacy of showing parallel conduct or

interdependence, without more, **1959 mirrors the

behavior's ambiguity: consistent with conspiracy,

but just as much in line with a wide swath of ration-

al and competitive business strategy unilaterally

prompted by common perceptions of the market.

Thus, this Court has hedged against false inferences

from identical behavior at a number of points in the

trial sequence, e.g., at the summary judgment stage,see Matsushita Elec. Industrial Co. v. Zenith Radio

Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L.Ed.2d

538. Pp. 1963 - 1964.

(b) This case presents the antecedent question of

what a plaintiff must plead in order to state a 1

claim. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8(a)(2) re-

quires only a short and plain statement of the

claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief,

in order to give the defendant fair notice of what

the ... claim is and the grounds upon which it rests,

Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 47, 78 S.Ct. 99, 2L.Ed.2d 80. While a complaint attacked by a Rule

12(b)(6) motion to dismiss does not need detailed

factual allegations, ibid., a plaintiff's obligation to

provide the grounds of his entitle[ment] to re-

lief requires more than labels and conclusions, and

a formulaic recitation of a cause of action's ele-

ments will not do. Factual allegations must be

enough to raise a right to relief above the speculat-

ive level on the assumption that all of the com-

plaint's allegations are true. Applying these general

standards to a 1 claim, stating a claim requires a

complaint with enough factual matter to suggest an

agreement. Asking for plausible grounds does not

impose a probability requirement at the pleading

stage; it simply calls for enough fact to raise a reas-

onable expectation that discovery will reveal evid-

ence of illegal agreement. The need at the pleading

stage for allegations plausibly suggesting (not

merely consistent with) agreement reflects Rule

8(a)(2)'s threshold requirement that the plain state-

ment possess enough heft to sho[w] that the

pleader is entitled to relief. A parallel *546 con-

duct allegation gets the 1 complaint close to stat-

ing a claim, but without further factual enhance-

ment it stops short of the line between possibility

and plausibility. The requirement of allegations

suggesting an agreement serves the practical pur-

pose of preventing a plaintiff with a largely

groundless claim from tak[ing] up the time of

a number of other people, with the right to do so

representing an in terrorem increment of the settle-

ment value. Dura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. v.

Broudo, 544 U.S. 336, 347, 125 S.Ct. 1627, 161L.Ed.2d 577. It is one thing to be cautious before

dismissing an antitrust complaint in advance of dis-

covery, but quite another to forget that proceeding

to antitrust discovery can be expensive. That poten-

tial expense is obvious here, where plaintiffs rep-

resent a putative class of at least 90 percent of sub-

scribers to local telephone or high-speed Internet

service in an action against America's largest tele-

communications firms for unspecified instances of

antitrust violations that allegedly occurred over a

7-year period. It is no answer to say that a claim

just shy of plausible entitlement can be weeded out

early in the discovery process, given the common

lament that the success of judicial supervision in

checking discovery abuse has been modest.

Plaintiffs' main argument against the plausibility

standard at the pleading stage is its ostensible con-

flict with a literal reading of Conley's statement

construing Rule 8: a complaint should not be dis-

missed for failure to state a claim unless it appears

beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of

facts in support of his claim which would entitle

him to relief. 355 U.S., at 45-46, 78 S.Ct. 99. Theno set of facts language has been questioned, cri-

ticized, and explained away long enough by courts

and commentators, **1960 and is best forgotten as

an incomplete, negative gloss on an accepted plead-

ing standard: once a claim has been stated ad-

equately, it may be supported by showing any set of

127 S.Ct. 1955 Page 6




(Cite as: 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955)

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facts consistent with the allegations in the com-

plaint. Conley described the breadth of opportunity

to prove what an adequate complaint claims, not the

minimum standard of adequate pleading to govern a

complaint's survival. Pp. 1964 - 1970.

2. Under the plausibility standard, plaintiffs' claim

of conspiracy in restraint of trade comes up short.

First, the complaint leaves no doubt that plaintiffs

rest their 1 claim on descriptions of parallel con-

duct, not on any independent allegation of actual

agreement among the ILECs. The nub of the com-

plaint is the ILECs' parallel behavior, and its suffi-

ciency turns on the suggestions raised by this con-

duct when viewed in light of common economic ex-

perience. Nothing in the complaint invests eitherthe action or inaction alleged with a plausible con-

spiracy suggestion. As to the ILECs' supposed

agreement to disobey the 1996 Act and thwart the

CLECs' attempts to compete, the District Court cor-

rectly found that nothing in the complaint intimates

that resisting the upstarts was anything more than

the natural, unilateral reaction of each *547 ILEC

intent on preserving its regional dominance. The

complaint's general collusion premise fails to an-

swer the point that there was no need for joint en-

couragement to resist the 1996 Act, since each

ILEC had reason to try and avoid dealing withCLECs and would have tried to keep them out, re-

gardless of the other ILECs' actions. Plaintiffs'

second conspiracy theory rests on the competitive

reticence among the ILECs themselves in the wake

of the 1996 Act to enter into their competitors' ter-

ritories, leaving the relevant market highly com-

partmentalized geographically, with minimal com-

petition. This parallel conduct did not suggest con-

spiracy, not if history teaches anything. Monopoly

was the norm in telecommunications, not the excep-

tion. Because the ILECs were born in that world,

doubtless liked it, and surely knew the adage about

him who lives by the sword, a natural explanation

for the noncompetition is that the former Govern-

ment-sanctioned monopolists were sitting tight, ex-

pecting their neighbors to do the same. Antitrust

conspiracy was not suggested by the facts adduced

under either theory of the complaint, which thus

fails to state a valid 1 claim. This analysis does

not run counter to Swierkiewicz v. Sorema N. A.,

534 U.S. 506, 508, 122 S.Ct. 992, 152 L.Ed.2d 1,

which held that a complaint in an employment dis-

crimination lawsuit [need] not contain specific facts

establishing a prima facie case of discrimination.

Here, the Court is not requiring heightened fact

pleading of specifics, but only enough facts to state

a claim to relief that is plausible on its face. Be-

cause the plaintiffs here have not nudged their

claims across the line from conceivable to plaus-

ible, their complaint must be dismissed. Pp. 1970 -

1974.

425 F.3d 99, reversed and remanded.

SOUTER, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in

which ROBERTS, C. J., and SCALIA, KENNEDY,

THOMAS, BREYER, and ALITO, JJ., joined.

STEVENS, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which

GINSBURG, J., joined, except as to Part IV.

Stephen M. Shapiro, Kenneth S. Geller, Richard J.

Favretto, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw LLP,

Washington, D.C., Laura J. Coleman, J. Henry

Walker, Marc W.F. Galonsky, Ashley Watson, At-

lanta, Georgia, for BellSouth Corporation.

Timothy Beyer, Brownstein Hyatt & Farber, P.C.,

Denver, Colorado, **1961Cynthia P. Delaney,

Denver, Colorado, Counsel for Qwest Communica-

tions International Inc.

Michael K. Kellogg, Mark C. Hansen, Aaron M.

Panner, Kellogg, Huber, Hansen, Todd, Evans &

Figel, P.L.L.C., Washington, D.C., Javier Aguilar,

William M. Schur, San Antonio, Texas, for AT&T

Inc. (formerly SBC Communications Inc.).

Richard G. Taranto, Farr & Taranto, Washington,

D.C., Paul J. Larkin, Jr., David E. Wheeler, Robert

J. Zastrow, Arlington, Virginia, Dan K. Webb,

Charles B. Molster III, Winston & Strawn LLP,

Chicago, Illinois, for Verizon Communications Inc.

(successor-in-interest to Bell Atlantic Corporation).

127 S.Ct. 1955 Page 7




(Cite as: 550 U.S. 544, 127 S.Ct. 1955)

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Marc A. Topaz, Joseph H. Meltzer, Schiffrin &

Barroway, LLP, Radnor, PA, J. Douglas Richards,

Michael M. Buchman, Milberg Weiss Bershad &

Schulman LLP, New York, NY, for Respondents.

For U.S. Supreme Court briefs, see:2006 WL

2474079 (Pet.Brief)2006 WL 3089915

(Resp.Brief)2006 WL 3265610 (Reply.Brief)

Justice SOUTER delivered the opinion of the

Court.

*548 Liability under 1 of the Sherman Act, 15

U.S.C. 1, requires a contract, combination ..., or

conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce. The

question in this putative class action is whether a

1 complaint can survive a motion to dismiss when it

alleges that major telecommunications providers

engaged in certain parallel conduct unfavorable to

*549 competition, absent some factual context sug-

gesting agreement, as distinct from identical, inde-

pendent action. We hold that such a complaint

should be dismissed.

I

The upshot of the 1984 divestiture of the American

Telephone & Telegraph Company's (AT & T) localtelephone business was a system of regional service

monopolies (variously called Regional Bell Oper-

ating Companies, Baby Bells, or Incumbent

Local Exchange Carriers (ILECs)), and a separate,

competitive market for long-distance servi

bell at corp v. twombly 550 u.s. 544, 127 s.ct. 1955

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